This year, the 9th Grade Service program took on renewed energy with a variety of experiences that provided students the chance to deepen relationships with those older and younger, and connect with needs both local and global.
“Kids are not always aware of the things they can do,” said Coordinator of Student Engagement Deidre Cooper. “This program is about getting them to be more open about that and to explore what the needs are and why they exist.”
Each month, advisories of roughly nine students rotate through different activities on and off campus – from donning aprons and plastic gloves in the FA Kitchen to help FLIK Dining staff prepare meals; to visiting seniors at the Glen Cove Senior Center; to making sandwiches for North Shore Soup Kitchen; to reading with FA Kindergartners; assisting Friends Academy Maintenance staff by resetting spaces after events; researching domestic and global issues with the student members of the FA chapter of Amnesty International and writing letters of advocacy; to bringing in non-perishable donations for the Oyster Bay-based People Loving People food pantry and helping staff members stock shelves.
“We want to perform services that people need, not just what we want to do,” explained Ms. Cooper. “The organization where we take the sandwiches we make already serves hot and cold meals, so our sandwiches serve as a supplement. Knowing what organizations actually need gives us more flexibility as well.”
During their time at the The People’s Pantry, students hear from a staff member about how the non-profit works and how many families they serve. “Our students start to develop a sense of how real the need around food insecurity is and what other needs are being addressed by the organization – like an after-school homework club and an ESL program for adults,” said Ms. Cooper.
In some cases service partners are organizations that are supported by multiple grades at Friends Academy. In 9th grade, students get to sit down with members at the Glen Cove Senior Center, introduce themselves, and hear about the interests, experiences, and lives of people in their 70s, 80s, and well into their 90s. By 11th grade, these same students host a Junior/Senior Citizen Prom for the same members, inviting them on campus for an evening of more conversation, serving them a catered dinner, and a fan favorite for all – dancing.
“When we look at the skills that students are developing, we are talking about crucial skills like empathy; building capacity to understand difference; and diving into responsibility. What happens if you don’t do your job? What is the impact on a community?” pointed out Ms. Cooper. “These service experiences also build relationships and community among the students as well. A lot of our 9th graders are new to Friends and this helps them get to know other their classmates and teachers in a different way.”
For Ms. Cooper, the opportunity to teach the double pathways of service– what you can do for another in need and what that same person can teach you – is the foundation of the 9th grade service program. “Service is about seeing a need and working to meet that need in the way those in need would like it to be met. In the process of meeting that need we should be asking, ‘Am I truly meeting the needs of the community? Is what I’m doing effective?’ In addition, we always aim for the experiences to be reciprocal. Our students are learning that people in need can give something as well and that their actions can have a tangible outcome.”